Frank j



(No Model.)

P. J. RUSSELL. ELECTRICAL CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

No. 595,345. Patented Dec. 14,1897.

lNVENTOR W %TORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK J. RUSSELL, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONF-IIALF TO HORACE SEE, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRICAL CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,345, dated December 14, 1897.

Application filed May 7, 1897. Serial No. 635,512- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. RUSSELL, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical Controlling Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a device for controlling a current, so that there may be produced in the circuit a series of impulses depending in number upon the deviation of the governing lever or handle and in direction upon the direction of deviation of said handle.

The invention consists more particularly in the construction of said device, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in plan and partial section of my controlling device. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same, and Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the manner in which the contact-arm establishes circuit with the plates in said device.

Similar letters and figures of reference indicate like parts.

A is a hollow cylindrical case of insulating material having at its ends spiders B O of metal. The spider B may be connected in circuit with a plus conductor, as 1, and the spider O with a minus conductor, as 2.

Extending inward from the spider B are illclined spring contact-plates E E E E and e e 6 e Extending inward from the spider O are similar inclined spring contact-plates F F F F fff f The contact-plates on spider O are disposed opposite to the contact plates on spider B, and the opposing faces of said plates are substantially parallel, as shown in Fig. 3. Said plates are also disposed at regular intervals circumferentially around the spiders.

G is a contact-arm journaled at D to the spiders and provided with a handle l-I. Said arm carries at its end two contact-plates I and J, which are inclined with their faces respectively substantially parallel to the faces of the series of plates E e, 850., and F f, &c., as shown in Fig. 3.

The plates I and J are covered with insulating-blocks M and N on their inner sides. The plate J is connected to circuit-wire 3 and the plate I to circuit-wire 4.

Assume now that the handle II, Fig. 1, is moved to the left, carrying the contact-plates I and J on the arm G- to the right of Fig. 3. Then the contact-plate J will pass beneath and make contact with the plate f on spider O, thus establishing circuit from conductor 2 to conductor 4. The contact-plate I will pass beneath contact-plate e on spider B, but will be prevented from establishing circuit by the insulating-block l\I,which comes between said plates I and e. As the plates fand J are both of considerable width, electrical circuit is maintained over the period during which they remain in contact and until plate J passes beyond and to the right of plate f.

If the handle H, Fig. 1, be moved to the right instead of to the left, then the plate J will pass over the plate F and be prevented from closing circuit therewith by the insulating-block L but the face of plate I will meet the plate E, and thus circuit will be closed through conductor 1, spiderB, plate E, plate I, and conductor 4. Consequently when the handle II is turned to the left circuit is established through the minus conductors 2 4, as contact is made between plate J and each successive plate ff f, 620., and the duration of the closing of the circuit will be governed by the width of the respective plates. On the other hand, when the handle H is turned to the right, circuit in like manner is established through the plus conductors 1 and 3, as contact is made between plate I and each suecessive plate E E E the.

Now assume that the plates J and I have been carried to the right of Fig. 3 and beyond the plates e f and they are to be returned to their original middle position, moving to the left. Then the plate I will establish contact during its return journey with the plate 6 by moving over said plate, while the plate J, moving over plate f, will be prevented from closing circuit with said plate by the insulating-block L. Similarly if the plates J K have been carried to the left of plates F E and are to be returned to middle position, moving to the right, then plate J will establish circuit through plate F,while plate I,passing also beneath plate E, will be insulated therefrom by block M. The net result is as follows: Assuming arm G "to be in its middle position, as shown in Fig. 1, if said arm be moved to carry plates J K to the right and beyond plates 6 f, then circuit is established between plates J and F through min us conductors 2 and 4. .Vhen said arm is moved to the left to return it to its original position, circuit is established between plates I and e and through plus conductors 1 and 3. Vhen said arm G is moved from its original position to carry plates J K to the left and beyond plates F and E, then circuit is established between the plates I and E and through the plus conductors 1 and 3. lVhen said arm is moved to the right to return it to its origi nal position,then circuit is established between the plates J and F and through the minus conductors 2 and a; or, more briefly, original movement of plates J K to the right establishes minus connections through the apparatus as each plate ff, dwc.,is successively passed over, an d movement back again to the left establishes a succession of plus connections 6 e e the. Movement originally to the left'establishes plus connections as each plate E E E &c., is traversed, and movement back again to the right establishes successive minus connections as the plates F E F &c., are passed over.

I will now refer to certain mechanical details of the apparatus. The middle portion of the journal D, which passes through the hub of the handle, is semicircular, as shown at N in Fig. l. The hub is made in two parts, one of which, 0, is received upon the convex side of said semicircular portion of the journal. The other half of the hub P is loose and rests against the flat side of the journal and the edges of the part 0, as shown in Fig. 1. The part P of the hub is hollow internally, and in this hollow portion is a headed rod R, which extends through an opening in the flat side of the part P, through a hole in the middle of the journal D, through the hollow arm G, and protrudes beyond the end of said arm. On the rod Q is a collar R, and between this collar and a portion of the journal D there is a spiral spring S encircling said rod, the collar operating to hold the end of the rod Q, protruding beyond the end of the arm S. The two parts 0 and P of the hub are held together by the springs T, which extend between arms U and V, protruding from said parts. In the inner periphery of the casing A are recesses, as a, which are placed in midway positions between the successive contact-plates on the spiders.

The operation of the device thus described is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, when the handle II is turned to the right in operating the device the first effect is to move the part P of the hub independently, so that it tends to turn on a center I) on the right-hand side of said semicircular portion P. This is permitted by the yielding of the spring T, which connects the parts of the hub together. As the handle is moved still farther to the right the part P of the hub engaging with the head of rod Q operates to draw that rod inward and against the action of the spiral spring S, so that after the handle II has moved a determinate distance-that is to say, to a distance equal to the distance intervening between the position of the recess in which the end of the rod Q, is represented in Fig. l to the next recess on the left, athen the rod Q will have been drawn entirely out of the recess in which it rests, and by the controlling action of the spring T on the left-hand side of the hub connecting its parts together the arm G will be drawn rapidly past the contact-plates on the left-hand side until the end of the arm Q comes opposite the recess a, when by the expansion of the spring S it will be thrown into the recess. This operation will occur in moving the handle II in any direction, so as to carry the plates J and K past one pair of contact-plates on the spiders, and will then cause the contact-arm II to be engaged and held in position, and after this impulses are sent into the apparatus to work it. The object of this is to prevent the operator from establishing a contact in the controlling device without actually causing the plates to pass completely over one another. In the absence of such a device as I have here described he might move the handle II to estab' lish a contact and then return it immediately to its original position without causing the plates to sweep past that contact. In such case it is obvious that on the return stroke the operator will not have established a reverse contact to bring the parts back to their normal position, since in order to do this itis necessary for him to cause the moving plates to pass completely over one contact and then back again over the same contact.

I have stated that the plates E F e f, &c., are spring contact-plates. The obj eet of this is to enable them to yield as the plates J and K pass over or under them, as the case may be, and also to insure a quick break as the plates part company. Instead of making these stationary contact-plates E F e f spring-plates I may make them fixed plates and make the plates J K 011 the arm G spring-plates, one arrangement being the equivalent of the other.

I claim--- 1. The combination in an electric controlling device of two fixed contact-plates 1?,f, movable contact-plate J the faces of said plates being inclined and substantially parallel and a body L of insulating material on one face of plate J, substantially as described.

2. The combination in an electric controlling device of the fixed contact-plates F, E, f, e, the contact-plates J, I and movable support therefor, the faces of said plates being inclined and substantially parallel and the insulating-blocks L, N carried by said support, substantially as described.

3. The combination in an electric controlling device of the spider C, fixed contactplates as f, f, f 850., secured thereto, contact-plate J, block of insulating material L on one face thereof, and movable arm G supporting said plate J the said arm when moved in one direction carrying said plate J into contact with said plates f, f successively and when moved in return direction carrying said block L into contact with said plates, substantially as described.

4. The combination in an electric controlling device of the spider O, fixed contactplates f, f f ,,&c., and F, F F &c., secured thereto, contact-plate J, block of insulating material L on one face thereof, and movable arm G supporting said plate J substantially as described.

5. The combination in an electric controlling device, of the spiders B and C, fixed contact-plates as E, E, 850., and e, e, &c., on spiderB, and F, F, &c., and f,f, &c., on spider O, contact-plate J, block of insulating material L on one face thereof, contact-plate I, block of insulating material N on one face thereof, and a movable support G for said plates J and I, substantially as described.

6. The combination in an electric controlling device of a contact-plate as F and support therefor, journal D, half-hubs O and P thereon, springs acting upon said hubs to retain them with their opposing faces in j uxtaposition, a lever or handle H on half-hub P, a rod G on half-hub O, and a locking device associated with rod G and controlled by lever H and operating to hold said rod G in definite position until after said lever H shall have been moved a predetermined extent, substantially as described.

7. The combination in an electric controlling device of a fixed contact-plate as F, and support therefor, journal D, half-hubs O and P thereon, springs acting upon said hubs to retain them with their opposing faces in juxtaposition, a lever or handle H on half-hub P, a hollow rod G carrying a contact-plate and projecting from half-hub O, a bolt in rod G provided with a spiral spring and adapted to engage with said fixed contact-plate support, and mechanism between said bolt and said half-hub P whereby when said half-hub P is tilted by the movement of said lever, as set forth, said bolt is disengaged from said support, substantially as described.

8. The combination in an electric controlling device of a contact-plate as F and support therefor, journal D, half-hubs O and P thereon, arms 10, v, on said hubs, springs T between said arms u, '2), a lever or handle H on half-hub P, a hollow rod G on half-hub O, a bolt in rod G having its inner end headed and engaging in a cavity in half-hub P, and its outer end protruding from said hollow rod G and adapted to engage with said contactplate support, and a spiral spring S acting upon said rod to protrude the same whereby when said half-hub P is tilted by the movement of said lever H, as described, said bolt is disengaged from said support and said rod G by the action of a spring T is moved so as to cause said contact-plate on said rod to meet and pass over said fixed contact-plate, substantially as described.

FRANK J. RUSSELL.

Witnesses:

H. R. MOLLER, I. A. VAN WART. 

